Earth Day Network
Staying Green While Being Clean
Clean up the environment with a lesson plan that focuses on replacing hazardous cleaning supplies with green, environmentally-friendly products. Using a dirty patch of surface as a control area, kids clean other parts of various surfaces...
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The Risks of Everyday Living
Students compare their perceptions of risk to the perceptions of scientists and risk professionals. in small groups, they evaluate risks on a scale of 1 to 10 for the average American on a yearly basis.
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Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
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Toxicants and California Blackworms
Learners determine the normal behavior of California blackworms. They determine how various concentrations of assigned toxicants affect the worm's behavior. Students are introduced to testing of potential toxicants, an important...
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Mark, Recapture, Sampling
Learners conduct a simulation to explore how scientists estimate the size of animal populations. They analyze a random sample and then extrapolate those results to a larger population. Additionally, they will apply the principals of...
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Environmental Justice in Chester, PA
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
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Backyard Bacteria
Young scholars demonstrate safe ways to handle bacteria, prepare agar plates, and grow bacterial cultures. They identify different kinds of bacterial colonies, and devise a controlled experiment.
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Recognizing Litter
When does trash become litter? Use this litter awareness lesson to help them understand the importance of trash disposal. Get learners engaged by reading Nancy Loewen's Lady Lulu Liked to Litter (not included). After discussing what...
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Wildflower Beautification Project
Students, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and federal...
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Changing Planet: Fading Corals
Show the six-minute video, "Changing Planet: Fading Corals," and then demonstrate how calcium carbonate forms a precipitate in the presence of carbon dioxide. Separate your scientists into small groups to gather information about coral...
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Bacterial Transformation
Students discuss a bacterial experiment they previously performed and complete a pre-assessment. They participate in a lecture discussion given by the teacher through PowerPoint and then complete a cartoon worksheet and post-assessment.
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The Photoelectric Effect
After some online instruction, chemistry aces use their creative abilities to produce a poster describing the photoelectric effect and one type of imaging technology that uses electromagnetic radiation. This simple, straightforward...
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Interplanetary Travel Guide
In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...
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When Are We Wasting Water
Students study water conservation. In this water conservation instructional activity, students participate in a water conservation experiment. Students discover how to conserve water while washing their hands.
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Life Science: My Pyramid
Students examine how the school food program compares to the food pyramid recommendations. In this food pyramid lesson plan, students compile data regarding the food choices available in the school through the lunch program and vending...
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Indoor Environment: A Magazine Publication Project
Students demonstrate knowledge of Indoor Air Quality by creating a class magazine. A link to order a free Action Kit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is provided so teachers can build background knowledge. Performance...
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The Wonderful World of Waves (Wave Basics)
High schoolers define amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and period, calculate period given frequency, and calculate frequency given period, define crest and trough and locate both on diagram of wave, differentiate between latitudinal and...
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Bacteria: Friend or Foe?
Young scholars examine a variety of environmental and industrial roles of bacteria. explore where bacteria can be found and distinguish bacteria from other organisms.
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Hydro-Technology
Students create a design for water collection, sanitation, or supply. In this hydro-technology lesson, students learn about the global water crisis. Groups of students read water technology articles, draw or design a device or process,...
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The Science of Weather
Students read an article. In this seasons instructional activity, students discuss the seasons and seasonal affective disorder. Students find an article that illustrates other ways that the environment negatively effects humans.
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Communications
Students incorporate different disciplines into this lesson. In this science lesson, students investigate the use of communicating without words, and how it is different than communicating with words. They discuss the pros and cons of...
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Water Filtration
Learners investigate our water system and how it is filtered. In this science activity, students perform a laboratory activity to investigate the process that goes into filtering water. They relate this activity to other subject areas...
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How Machines Help Us Stay Healthy
Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.
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Biology: New Trials & Findings
Students use background knowledge to summarize articles about skin cancer research and present them to the class and place their studies along a clinical study timeline. They are introduced to clincal trails and to various aspects of...